Electric circuit selectors



April 9, 1968 s. T. DEAKIN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT SELECTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed July 6, 1966 April 9, 1968 5. T. DEAKIN 3,377,607

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT SELECTORS Filed July 6, 1966 2 She ets-Sheet 2 a5 3/ F5Z 332 United States Patent Ofice 3,377,607 Patented Apr. 9, 19683,377,60 ELECTRIC CIRCUIT SELECTORS Stanley Thomas Deakin, Farlington,England, assignor to Sealectro Limited, Farlington, Portsmouth,Hampshire, England, a British company Filed July 6, 1966, Ser. No.563,188 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 6, 1965,28,621/65 9 Claims. (Cl. 339-18) The invention relates to electriccircuit selectors and to connectors for use therewith.

According to the invention, an electric circuit selector of the kindhaving two sets of contacts arranged in parallel rows of electricallyconnected contacts, the rows of one set of contacts crossing the rows ofthe other set, there being at each crossing of the rows a pair ofcontacts one from each set and each pair being arranged for engagementby an electrical connector whereby selected contacts of one set may beelectrically connected with the contacts of the other set pairingtherewith is characterised in that the contacts of each pair (or each ofat least some of the pairs) are one within the other and spaced apart.Usually each row of a connector of the above kind has a means ofconnection to an external circuit arrangement. Also, with such anarrangement, the engagement of a connector with a selected pair ofcontacts provides an electrical connection between two external circuitarrangements to which the two rows containing the contact pair arerespectively connected. One example of a selector of the above kind isdisclosed in United States patent specification No. 3,027,534.

In one form of the invention the contacts of each pair are a plug and asocket, one within the other with a space between them and, preferably,both of substantially circular cross-section.

In another form of the invention the contacts of each pair are a plugand a socket respectively coaxial with one another.

.One construction according to the invention has the rows of contacts ofone set lying along and attached to parallel bars of insulating materialand the rows of contacts of the other set transverse to the bars andattached thereto. The bars may be of channel shape with the contacts ofone set projecting through the bottoms of the channels and theelectrical connections lying along and within the channels. The contactsof the other set may be formed on, or carried by, strips of corrugatedor castellated formation, the bars being received and held within thecorrugations.

The invention also provides a connector for use with a selector as abovedescribed and comprising a contact member of generally tubular form forinsertion into the space between the contacts, the tube havinglongitudinal resilient tongues which are set inwardly and outwardlyrelative to one another to make contact with the contacts.

The connector may, alternatively, comprise an insulating sleeve withinner and outer contact sleeves thereon for making contact respectivelywith the plug and socket contacts on the selector.

Some specific embodiments of selectors and connectors according to theinvention will now be described, by way of example, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a selector, partly cutaway and partly in section;

FIGURE 2 is a section of part of the selector;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of two of the channel bars seen in FIGURE 2, onebeing with a strip of connectors and the other without;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of part of an alternative form of socketconnector strip;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of one form of connector;

FIGURE 6 is one end view of the connector shown in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is 'a perspective view, partly in section, of anotherconnector;

FIGURE 8 is a view of the outer contact sleeve of the connector shown inFIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a view of an insulating sleeve used in the connector shownin FIGURE 7.

The selector shown in FIGURES 13 comprises rows of coaxial plug andsocket contacts 10, 11 carried by bars 12 moulded of resilientinsulating material.

The plug contacts of each row are integral with a connector strip 14.The contacts are formed by cutting and rolling portions of the strip tocylindrical form. The strips are bent to wave form. The contacts passthrough and fit closely within holes 15 in the bottoms of the bars 12and are held in place by lips 16 on the bars which engage over the waves17 of the strips. The operative portions of the contact plugs 10 projectdownwardly (as viewed in the drawings) from the bottoms of the bars 12.

The socket contacts 11 of each roW are integral with a connector strip20 and are formed, like eyelets, by pressing out the material of thestrip. The strips are bent to corrugated or castellated form and embracethe bars 12 within the corrugations, over the sockets. The sides of thecorrugations have notches 21 which make holding and locating engagementwith projections 22 on the bars. The sockets 11 surround and are coaxialwith the plugs 10.

If necessary or desirable to obtain rigidity the ends of the bars 12 maybe attached to a support frame or they may be bolted or rivetedtogether.

FIGURE 4 shows a modified form of socket contacts 7 and connector strip20 in which the contacts 11a are approximately semi-circular in sectionand the notches 21 are replaced by slots 24. The projections 22 for thismodification will be positioned on the centre lines of the socketcont-act strips.

FIGURES 5 and 6 show one form of connector for use with either form ofselector described above. The connector comprises a metallic tube ofwhich one end is held in an insulating sleeve or finger grip 31. Thetube is slit along two chords 32, 33 to form two pairs of opposedresilient tongues 34, 35. The tongues 34 are set inwardly as seen inFIGURE 6. The tube also has a slightly enlarged nose 36. In use the tubeis inserted into the space between a pair of contacts 10 and 11. Thetongues 34 grip and make contact with the plug contact 10 and the nose36 makes contact with the socket contact 11.

The connector shown in FIGURES 7 to 9 is primarily intended for use whena device such as a diode rectifier is to be connected between a pair ofthe contacts 10 and 11. The connector comprises an insulating sleeve 40(FIG- URE 9) having an external screw thread 54, a circumferentialgroove 41 and a pair of opposed axial grooves 42. The sleeve 40 also hasan internal lip 43 and an internal rib 44. Held within the sleeve by thelip 43 and the rib 44 there is an inner tubular contact 46 rolled from asheet metal blank. The contact has inwardly set contact tongues 47 forcontacting the plug 10. The contact also has a tag 48 on the axis of theconnector for attachment to one contact of a diode 59 or other device.

On the outside of the portion 60 of the sleeve 40 there is a tubularcontact 49 with two tags 50, 51, the portion 60 being of suitablyreduced diameter to house the thickness of the contact 49. The tags liein the grooves 42 and are provided with hooks 52, 53 which engage overthe end of the sleeve to hold the contact in place. The tag 51 also hasa hooked end 55 for making connection to the other contact of the diode59. The contact portion 49 is not truly circular, to provide forresilient engagement within a socket 11.

An advantage of the above construction is that the wave or castellateclform of the connector strips 14, 20 provides the strips with thenecessary longitudinal resilience to allow for manufacturing tolerances.

'It is also to be appreciated that the invention is not restricted tothe specific details of selector described above. For example, althoughthe selector is described as having plug and socket contacts,.theselector may be provided with plug contacts or socket contacts only.

I claim:

1. An electric circuit selector of the kind having two sets of contactsarranged in parallel rows of electrically connected contacts, the rowsof one set of cont-acts crossing the rows of the other set, there beingat each crossing of the rows a pair of contacts one from each set andeach pair being arranged for engagement by an electrical connectorwhereby selected contactsof one set may be electrically connected withthe contacts of the other set pairing therewith characterised in thatthe contacts of each of at least some of the pairs are one within theother and spaced apart.

2. A selector as claimed in claim 1 in which the contacts of each pairare a plug and a socket, one within the other with a space between them.

3. A selector as claimed in claim 2 in which both the plug and thesocket are of substantially circular crosssection.

4. A selector as claimed in claim 1 in which the contacts of each pairare a plug and a socket respectively co-axial with one another.

5. A selector as claimed in claim 1 in which the rows of contacts of oneset lie along and are attached to parallel bars of insulating materialand the rows of contacts of the other set are transverse to the bars andattached thereto.

6. A selector as claimed in claim 5 in which the bars are of channelshape with the contacts of one set projecting through the bottoms of thechannels and the electrical connections lying along and within thechannels.

7. A selector as claimed in claim 5 in which the contacts of the otherset are formed on strips of corrugated or castellated formation, thebars being received and held within the corrugations.

8. A connector for use with a selector'as claimed in claim 1 whichconnector comprises a contact member of generally tubular form forinsertion into the space between the contacts, the tube havinglongitudinal resilient tongues which are set inwardly and outwardlyrelative to one another to make contact with the contacts.

9. A connector for use with a selector as claimed in claim 2 whichconnector comprises an insulating sleeve with inner and outer contactsleeves thereon for making contact respectively with the plug and socketcontacts on the selector.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 377,237 l/l888 Cole 339*182,613,287 10/1952 Geiger 339-18 2,869,090 1/1959 Iohanson 1- 339-l7MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT SELECTOR OF THE KIND HAVING TWO SETS OF CONTACTSARRANGED IN PARALLEL ROWS OF ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED CONTACTS, THE ROWSOF ONE SET OF CONTACTS CROSSING THE ROWS OF THE OTHER SET, THERE BEINGAT EACH CROSSING OF THE ROWS A PAIR OF CONTACTS ONE FROM EACH SET ANDEACH PAIR BEING ARRANGED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTORWHEREBY SELECTED CONTACTS OF ONE SET MAY BE ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITHTHE CONTACTS OF THE OTHER SET PAIRING THEREWITH CHARACTERISED IN THATTHE CONTACTS OF EACH OF AT LEAST SOME OF THE PAIRS ARE ONE WITHIN THEOTHER AND SPACED APART.